At a time when electric vehicles (EVs) are experiencing rapid growth, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) interaction has emerged as a crucial approach for enhancing grid stability and facilitating the decarbonization of the power sector. However, previous research endeavors have faced challenges in striking a balance between the fine-grained simulation of user behavior and the substantial computational costs associated with processing massive amounts of city-level data. Consequently, megacities have been left with inadequate data support for formulating effective V2G policies.

In November 2025, Professor Zhang Yi's team from Tsinghua University published a research paper in Nature Communications, introducing an innovative "Mobility-Vehicle-to-Grid Interaction" analytical framework. Leveraging the Timegeo model to predict travel trajectories, this framework performs optimized calculations while taking into account realistic constraints, such as the scale of user participation. It enables the prediction of continuous travel trajectories and power fluctuations for each vehicle, calculates the V2G interaction potential for 500,000 to 1 million private electric vehicles in megacities, and thus provides crucial data support for policy formulation.

The study devised two distinct V2G participation modes. During the week of peak power consumption in summer, the Vehicle-to-Wholesale-System (VWS) mode exhibited significant peak-shaving and valley-filling effects. However, it also incurred certain economic costs and battery degradation expenses. By adjusting the VWS strategy to ensure user satisfaction, although there was a slight reduction in the peak-shaving and valley-filling effects, it successfully lowered battery aging costs and economic incentive expenditures.

The research further extended its scope to encompass cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, simulating scenarios with higher electric vehicle ownership and envisioning a comprehensive upgrade to fast-charging infrastructure. The results revealed that the additional benefits of universal fast charging are limited and may even exacerbate inequity.